Madrid

Winter in Madrid: A Novel
$15.00
I have simply adored Sansom's historical mystery series about Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer in Henry VIII's England who tries ever-so-desperately to avoid political complications. Among the author's many writing strengths in those books are an awesome ability to show every side of an issue in an even-handed way, and to show difficult political choices with very human repercussions: monks displaced by King Henry's dissolution of the monasteries, or the role of upper-class women during that time. Since I'd run out of books to read in that series, I turned my attention to Sansom's other books, hoping that he was equally brilliant in a different place-and-time.

He's good. He's very good. But this (standalone) book isn't quite up to the earlier series. It's nowhere near "disappointing" -- it's just not going to be among the books that I insist you MUST read.

One reason may be that Winter in Madrid is set in a time much closer to our own. Events take place from 1937 to 1940 in Madrid, Spain, encompassing both the Spanish revolution and the early part of World War II, from the English point of view. The primary character is Harry Brett, an upper-class chap who's still recovering from his experiences at Dunkirk, and who is sent to Madrid to buddy-up with an old school chum, Sandy Forsyth, whose business activities just might be throwing the English-Spain politics off-balance. In a parallel story that doesn't take too long to weave into Brett's, English Red-Cross nurse is looking for evidence that her old boyfriend (ANOTHER old school friend of Brett's) may have survived the bloody battlefields of the Jarama.

I've somehow found myself reading a lot of stories recently about World War II, but in this book the history which I was embarrassed NOT to know was the Spanish Civil War. I'm sure I read a few paragraphs about it during high school, but -- well, my excuse is that I took two years of Advanced Placement American History, so I skipped World History. (My bet is that I *still* wouldn't have learned anything about the Spanish Civil War and Franco -- every teacher was ready to fast-forward to World War II. I wonder if English students have a different emphasis.)

Anyway, Sansom did his usual good job of creating characters, place, and history. He certainly fulfilled my expectation that he could take a not-overreported time of history and bring it to life. And overall I did care what happened. However, there were times when I felt as though I was pushing myself to finish this novel, rather than having it drag me from page to page the way that I'm used to Sansom's books do... and I'm not quite sure why. I like the characters. I may not adore them, but I like them. And I did want to find out how the story turned out. But somehow the sparkle in this book is just a BIT less bright than the other series. That may be my fault, however; I'm not sure you'll feel the same way.

Lonely Planet Madrid Encounter
$11.99
We're a 20 something couple who loves to travel backpack style on a budget. We don't stay in hostels, but we definitely don't spend a lot on hotels since really, you're only sleeping there. Venere(google it)is an amazing site for booking hotels and getting great feedback from past customers before you book. It's like the amazon.com of hotels.

We've used these slim lonely planet books for cities all over Spain, Italy and Portugal. They are amazing. I first got them on a trip to Italy, since we were visiting a few cities I hadn't been before. They were such an integral part of why we enjoyed ourselves so much, so I absolutely had to get them for our next trip to Spain and Portugal.

The books are very compact and fit in my tiny day bag(which just about houses my small camera, chapstick and a few other odds and ends). It was really all we needed when we ventured out every day. It has GREAT maps, about 5 different maps per book. And they're not gigantic, so thankfully you will not be the 'obvious tourist' which is something that I get very concerned about. I don't want to be the stereotypical American blocking off a sidewalk while staring at a map that's 2x5. Each map concentrates on a different section of the city, so you can see specific streets and points of interest.

I usually read thru these books page by page to decide my daily itinerary before we leave for our trip. I cross reference them with other guides and websites, to make sure I won't be skipping anything crucial. I made notes on the pages and highlight parts of the maps so that I can easily find things I am going to.

An indispensable aspect of these books is not only does it at least give you an idea of pricing, if not the exact amount, but it tells student/senior pricing as well as hours and even hours for different seasons if the point of interests breaks down that way. We always knew when something was open or closed so there was never wasted time walking to something and finding it closed or just about to be closed. When you're in a city for a short amount of time, that is VERY important!!

There is also a wide variety of color pictures, which I really like. It gives me a better idea of if i want to visit that museum or fountain or building.

This book can get you into a completely unknown city and help you get from an airport to where ever you're going. It tells you all the transportation choices and what is best for getting where. It has highlights for places you absolutely should not miss, sights and activities, walking tours(how often can you take yourself on a walking tour of an unknown city?!), day trips, shopping including food and flea markets, restaurants,hotels, places to visit for kids.

Lastly, my favorite section which is the 'directory', it's a how-to for the specific city your book is based on: on arrival and departure(which I mentioned before)info on tipping, your embassy, getting around: telling you about metro cards and buses and trains, basics on language and emergencies. Even tips for women or gay and lesbian travelers.

I would recommend this book whole heartedly and look forward to my next vacation so I can buy more. And afterwards, it's totally something sentimental to keep because it has all the notes on where we went and what we liked and didn't like. It really brings us back to the excitement of visiting a new, unknown place.

Madrid: A Cultural and Literary Companion (Cities of the Imagination)
$15.00
This is a well-written book about the history and culture of Madrid. I gained a better understanding of the culture of Madrid and how the Madrilenos live and think. For example, the lifestyle described centering around the cafes and the tertulias ("the gathering of people who meet regularly to converse or amuse themselves") enables you to visualize life in Madrid during the 1880's. The book is worth reading and instills a desire to learn about Spain's history and culture.

Madrid (City Guide)
$18.99
Over the summer, my family and I spent two weeks in Madrid and this guide was totally helpful. We were staying with a Spanish family, but they weren't always around to help us out with finding places to go and transportation. The Metro is so convenient and this guide was a total help in using the Metro because it had maps and at each location description is the stop you need for the Metro. There were also some day trips inside the book so you could venture out of Madrid. As we walked around the city and get hungry, we were able to look up restaurants in the book in the area we were. There also were cultural information such as tipping and local holidays, festivals, and markets. We found it easy to navigate through the city and visit all the places we wanted. This book was easy to use and full of information on cultural and touristic topics.